Apart!
by pillowcase
Summary: Casey and Derek knew each other before their parents got together and were very close, until tragedy strikes, now they hate each other. Why? Can they overcome all of the anger and hate?-Ok, summary sucks but the story will be better I promise. Reposted!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Life With Derek.

**Chapter 1:**

_I remember when Derek Venturi and I first became friends. We had a great, and deep, and meaningful relationship. I could tell him anything, and he understood. He got me like no other person ever got me before, even myself. He was kind, considerate, compassionate, loving. All these things I, Casey MacDonald got from him._

_I know this seems a little strange, because as you well know, Derek Venturi isn't all these things, but you know, stranger still was that he was with me. We were the closest to best friends that you could possibly be, and he loved me. Oh, he loved me, but stupid me, I didn't love him back. Or didn't realize. But he still accepted it, and we still talked all the time._

_Yes, I had the perfect life with him in it, but all this was before we were apart. Before he started to hate me, before he realized I was to become something to him that was unacceptable, before he found out I was his new step-sister. It's not the time for me to tell you why this simple fact disturbed him so much, just know that it did. _

_Looking at us now you never know how we used to be, but as they say, 'thems the breaks'. I'm going to tell this story in two distinctly different parts; TOGETHER, and APART. I feel that only this way will you truly be able to see the difference._

_First, I'll tell you how we met._

**Part ONE: Together**

I was working on this play at the local drama studio, as I did every summer. Let me tell you now, I, Casey MacDonald, am a confessed drama buff, there I said it. I love acting, dancing, singing. Anything to do with performing and I was there.

This summer the play was A Midsummer Night Dream by William Shakespeare, my favorite play of all time. I was trying out for the part of Helena, the shy, insecure ,lovesick and truly romantic young maiden, true to and in love with Demetrius, even though has abandoned her . I felt that this would be the perfect part for me. I was so desperate to get the part. Looking back now it doesn't seem all that important anymore.

My best friend at the time was a girl named Ashley. I had met her a couple of weeks ago when she moved here from Illinois and we had hit it off right away. She was as into drama as I was, except she was passionate for the backstage details. She was an amazing artist. She painted, sculpted, wrote, composed, everything. She has done the sets in all the plays in her hometown since she was fourteen years old. She was that good.

Anyway, we were walking home from practice when this guy drove past us. It was an old car, convertible, made a lot of noise and badly needed a wash, but the guy in it acted as if it were a Lamborghini. He was overly confident, so confident in fact that he pulled over in front of us and asked me out.

"Hey gorgeous," he said, "how bout' you hop in here and I'll give you a ride?" He says and wriggles his eyebrows suggestively. I looked him up and down. He was pretty tall, about 5'11. He had slightly reddish-brown hair, curlyish, kinda long. One piece was hanging in his eye. Cute but sadly not exactly my type.

_Now don't get me wrong. I have nothing against know-it-all, arrogant, and admittedly, maybe just slightly, hot guys, that is, if you like that sort of thing. I just prefer not to you know, date them. I'm one of those girls who typically date nice, easy to get along with, kind, sweet, down-to-earth guys. It's just who I am or was. Anyway, like I was saying, back to the story._

"Um, how about I not?" I said turning back to Ashley, "Let's go."

"Ooh, feisty. Me like." He says to my back. I turn around and glare at him.

"Derek, why don't you just shut up," she said to the boy. I look at her surprised. "Sorry, Casey, this is my idiot twin brother. Idiot twin brother, this is Casey, you know the girl I told you about."

He hopped out over the side and came and stoop next to Ashley. "Thanks for the introduction, sis." To me, he says, "Casey, so beauty does have a name." I roll my eyes.

"Interesting line. Where'd you get it? The back of a cereal box?"

"No actually, I got it from this new book of lines I got called 'Ways To Pick Up Chicks.'" He pretends to think for a while. "They actually work. I might have to write a thank you letter to the manufacturer." He says in a perfectly serious tone of voice.

"Um . . Interesting isn't a good thing. Really, if you paid money for that you really are an idiot."

"Hey, I never said I paid money for it." He says carrying on the charade.

"So what, you're trying to convince me, that you're some smalltime book thief? Wow," I say, really accentuating the word. "That's really, really impressive. It does wonders for that bad boy image you're trying to portray." He smiles humorously.

"It was a gift." He says as a comeback, thinking he's got me.

"Oh," I say sympathetically, "Then you must have even stupider friends than you, as hard as that for me to believe, for them to put that kind of thing into your hands knowing that you'd probably use it."

"No way are my friends stupider than me, that's impossible!. . . –Oh, wait, that came out wrong."

"Nope, I think you got it exactly right. It does seem quite impossible." I say, effectively locking him.

"And, Point 1 goes to, drum roll please, Casey MacDonald!" Ashley intercepts and gives me a high five.

"Ouch, Casey, my heart."

"Um, brother, I think you should get used to that." Ashley tells him, putting her arm around his shoulder.

"Na, she knows she's actually in love with me." He grins and looks at me. I play like this crack in the sidewalk is the most fascinating thing since sliced bread. Then looking up I say.

"I'm sorry what? Did you say something?" I ask him playing innocent.

"You want to try that again?" She laughs again.

"Never mind. So you guys want a ride or what?"

"Casey, what do you think?"

"Are you sure that thing is architecturally sound?" I ask, eying the thing warily. He just laughs.

"You're funny. Hop in." As the car speeds off, or tries to. I hurriedly put on my seatbelt and it comes off in my hand.

"Um, you guys, I was serious."

So that's the first time I met Derek Venturi. Though I couldn't admit it until now, that was one of the best days in my life.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Life With Derek.

**Chapter Two:**

_A week later..._

I'm running over my lines for the hundredth time. I think I'm read but I'm still freaking out. My heart feels like it's doing cartwheels...inside my stomach! You can imagine how good that feels.

"Where's Ashley?" I ask myself out loud, checking my watch again and gazing down the street. She was supposed to be here 2 hours ago to help me go over my lines one last time before my audition, which, according to my watch, starts in 45 minutes! Breath Casey, breath. She wouldn't ditch me like Lizzie, would she? She had a last minute study session for some summer workshop she was doing. Rushing to the aid of some random friend, not to seem selfish but what about me? I'm her sister! Sigh... I'm not freaking out that much am I? No, of course not, that's crazy. I start pacing again.

"Waiting for someone?" A voice pops up next to me and asks. I jump almost ten feet into the air, letting out a shrill squeak. I take a deep breath and try to regain some semblance of decorum or nonchalance. I turn to face him.

"Oh, it's you." I say, seeing that it's Derek. I look away from him back down the street. "Didn't anybody ever tell you that you shouldn't sneak up on people like that? You could end up laid out on the floor. You never know I could be some self-defense obsessed person, could've flipped you on your back so fast-" He puts out his hand to interrupt me.

"I highly doubt that."

"It could happen." I pout.

"If you say so."

"I do." I fight the urge to stick my tongue out at him.

"Ok then... Anyway, back to what I was saying. Are you waiting for someone?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I'm waiting for you sister. She's supposed to help me with my lines. Auditions are today." I tell him, trying to keep him from seeing how much I'm panicking.

"Right." He says again, really stretching out the word. "That's actually what I'm here to talk to you about. Ashley's not going to be able to make it.

"What?"

"Yeah, she's feeling a little bit under the weather. So..."

"Oh great! This is just peachy. Grand. Lovely! I get to be abandoned on the most important day of my life!" (at the time)

"...she sent me instead." He finishes lamely.

"Wait, what? You?" I say finally hearing him. "How are you supposed to help me?" Emphasis on the you.

"Well I'd think it was obvious." I give him a blank look. "I'm going to help you run lines." He smirks.

"Uh, I don't think so."

"Oh, come on Case, it'll be fun. Don't pretend that you don't want to spend some alone time with me." He comes over and puts his arm around me. "I'm quite the catch you know. Most girls would consider themselves lucky-"

"Excuse me." I turn around and flip open my phone and dial Ashley's cell. "1 sec." I say over my shoulder. The phone rings once, twice, three times.

"Hello?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Case, come on. He's really not that bad."

"You're joking right? Not that bad?" I hear snickering behind me and turn to glare at the source. He starts whistling innocently. I lower my voice. "Not that bad Ashley? He's an insufferable jerk!:

She sighs. "Fine, give him the phone." I hand it to him.

"Hey sis," he smirks into the phone.

"Derek, you think you can stop being a jerk and help her out. Look at her, she's probably a mess." He looks me up and down. "You owe me. Remember what happened with the English class? How I had to actually write your paper for you so that you wouldn't flunk yourself off of the hockey team last January? And I helped you to play in the play offs, leading to your win. You know what would have happened if dad found out. You owe me big brother. So be good."

"Fine," Derek says sulkily. "I'll be good." He hangs up my phone and gives it back to me with a slight pout.

(Can I interrupt for a second here. Ok, for the record, I'm striving to be as accurate and truthful in all my retelling of this story. There will be certain parts that I couldn't possibly know about for certain. I'm not sure if that's exactly how that conversation went verbatim, I only know basic details, the outline if you will, from a second hand retelling of certain events at a later date. Sorry, just had to interrupt and say that in case you guys were wondering how I knew what they were saying. Yeah... back to the story)

"Here."

"So, let's do this." Derek says one we're sitting on the steps outside the auditorium. Well at least he's sitting, I'm sort of pacing back and forth, murmuring to myself. After watching this for about five minutes he stops me.

"Do you want to start this thing or what?" He asks, "Doesn't this thing start pretty soon.

"Oh yeah," pulling myself back together. "Ok, so this is the part in Act II; Scene II, when Helena is following Demetrius who is telling her to leave. Ok, so you be Demetrius and I'll be Helena. I'm actually performing her monolgue for my audition but I want to establish the mood a little bit."

"Fine."

**Casey/Helena:** _"Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius."_

**Derek/Demetrius:** _"I charge thee, hence, do not haunt me thus."_

**Casey/Helena:** _"O, wilth thou darling leave me? Do not so."_

**Derek/Demetrius: **_"Stay, on thy peril. I alone will go." Exit Demetrius._

He finishes his last line and looks at me as I start Helena's short speech of self-loathing. I put my entire heart into it and don't notice when his mouth drops...

. . . . . . .

I look down at the "crowd" of people waiting to see my audition. The director, casting manager, stage hands, set designers and other hopefuls, waiting to watch me succeed, or fail. I take a deep breath and begin.

**Casey/Helena:** _"Oh, I am out of breath in this fond chase. The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace. Happy is Hermia, wheresoe'er she lies. For she hath blessed and attractive eyes. How come her eyes so bright?" Not with salt tears. If so, my eyes are oftener washed then hers. I am as ugly as a bear, for beasts that meet me run away for fear. Therefore no marvel thou Demetrius do, as a monster, fly my presence thus. What wicked dissembling glass of mine made me compare with Hermia's sphery eyen?"_

I finish so in my role that it's like coming out of a trance, or coming up through the other side of a waterfall. Reality reappearsin front of me. I let myself smile for a minute as I remember his earlier comment.

. . . . . . .

_We're standing outside by the steps, his mouth is dropped in wonder. " I don't know of any creature alive, bear or human who could ever run away from you Casey." My mouth opens and I feel a blush creep up my neck to my checks. "Seriously, do you know how amazing you looked just now. Your entire face just came to life." He says in awe._

. . . . . . .

_Back to true time._

I'm back to the stage again. There is a silence for the first few seconds then the auditorium bursts into thunderous applause, well as thunderous as about ten people can get.

The director gives me my paper for my call back.

As I walk out into the entrance hall and see Derek again the tail end of his comment comes back to me.

. . . . . . .

_He blinks and shakes his head back to reality. "...Plus it was sexy as hell. With your sexiness and my hotness, we'd be perfect together." He finishes, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively. Pure and utter disappointment._

. . . . . . .

After such a deep announcement earlier I almost maybe thought... "Wow, Derek. I almost let myself believe for a second that you were something besides a shallow, insensitive, sexist jerk. Keyword being almost."

I start to storm out of the entrance doors with renewed anger.

"Where are you going?"

"I"m just leaving you alone with your supposed hotness Derek. Plus I got somewhere else vastly more important to be then here with you."

"Casey,"

I ignore him and continue walking. I get to the door, but I can't help just taking one last look before I walk out the door. I look over my shoulder and jam breaks in shock. Derek's standing there with his head slumped to his chest, mentally berating himself. He actually looks... miserable? He just looks so pitiful that I feel bad for him. I heave a sigh and feel myself cave and let the door slam. He doesn't look up.

"Are you coming?" He jumps up and looks around.

"I thought you left," he says dejectedly.

"I almost did. So I repeat, Are you coming?" He grins and runs to catch up with me at the swinging doors. His previous aura of sadness completely gone. Was he actually excited that I forgave him?

"So where are we going?"

"You'll see." I say and grin sneakily.

_You might wonder why did I forgive him so fast? The answer to that is I could never stay mad at Derek for too long, even now when he's horrible to me. I know it's my fault, I know I deserve it. _

_. . . . . . ._

**Author's Note: And finally chapter 2s up after some trouble with my save button on the sight and having to retype almost half the chapter. I know there was alot of back and forth in this chapter and hopefully it's not that confusing. Let me know what you think. New chapter will be up soon.**


End file.
